*John Ogee, 96 years old, was born in Morgan City, La., in 1841, the
property of Alfred Williams. John ran away to join the Union Army and
served three years. He recalls Sherman's march through Georgia and South
Carolina and the siege of Vicksburg. He came to Jefferson County in
1870, and has lived there since.*
"I was born near Morgan City, Louisiana in a old log cabin with a dirt
floor, one big room was all, suh. My mother and father and four chillen
lived in that room.
"The marster, he live in a big, old house near us. I 'member it was a
big house and my mudder done the cleanin' and work for them. I jus'
played round when I's growin' and the fus' work I done, they start me to
plowin'.
"I haven't got 'lection like I used to, but I 'members when I's in the
army. Long 'bout '63 I go to the army and there was four of us who run
away from home, me and my father and 'nother man named Emanuel Young and
'nother man, but I disremember his name now. The Yankees comed 'bout a
mile from us and they took every ear of corn, kilt every head of stock
and thirteen hawgs and 'bout fifteen beeves, and feed their teams and
themselves. They pay the old lady in Confed'rate money, but it weren't
long 'fore that was no money at all. When we think of all that good food
the Yankees done got, we jus' up and jine up with them. We figger we git
lots to eat and the res' we jus' didn't figger. When they lef' we lef'.
My father got kilt from an ambush, in Miss'ippi--I think it was Jackson.
"We went to Miss'ippi, then to South Carolina. I went through Georgia
and South Carolina with Sherman's army. The fus' battle lasts two days
and nights and they was 'bout 800 men kilt, near's I kin 'member. Some
of 'em you could find the head and not the body. That was the battle of
Vicksburg. After the battle it took three days to bury them what got
kilt and they had eight mule throw big furrows back this way, and put
'em in and cover 'em up. In that town was a well 'bout 75 or 80 feet
deep and they put 19 dead bodies in that well and fill her up.
"After the war we went through to Atlanta, in Georgia and stay 'bout
three weeks. Finally we come back to Miss'ippi when surrender come. The
nigger troops was mix with the others but they wasn't no nigger
officers.
"After the war I come home and the old marster he didn' fuss at me about
going to war and for long time I work on the old plantation for wages. I
'member then the Klu Klux come and when that happen I come to Texas.
They never did git me but some they got and kilt. I knowed several men
they whip purty bad. I know Narcisse Young, they tell him they was
comin'. He hid in the woods, in the trees and he open fire and kilt
seven of them. They was a cullud man with them and after they goes, he
comes back and asks can he git them dead bodies. Narcisse let him and
then Narcisse he lef' and goes to New Orleans.
[Illustration: _John Ogee_]
"I thinks it great to be with the Yankees, but I wishes I hadn't after I
got there. When you see 1,000 guns point at you I knows you wishes you'd
stayed in the woods.
"The way they did was put 100 men in front and they git shoot and fall
down, and then 100 men behin' git up and shoot over 'em and that the way
they goes forward. They wasn't no goin' back, 'cause them men behin' you
would shoot you. I seed 'em fightin' close 'nough to knock one 'nother
with a bay'net. I didn' see no breech loaders guns, they was all
muskets, muzzle loaders, and they shoot a ball 'bout big as your finger,
what you calls a minnie-ball.
"I come to Taylor's Bayou in '70 and rid stock long time for Mister
Arceneaux and Mister Moise Broussard and farms some too. Then I comes to
Beaumont when I's too old to work no more, and lives with one of my
girls."